Developing Digital Citizenship in Municipality: Factors and Barriers

Abstract

Digital citizenship refers to people who can use technology appropriately. The purposes of this research are: (1) to examine personal factors influencing the digital citizenship of people, (2) to investigate the differences in digital citizenship of people between two municipalities, and (3) to examine the barriers to digital citizenship of people. This study employs a quantitative method using an online questionnaire. The sample size was 438 people in Hat Yai Municipality and Songkhla Municipality, Thailand. The results revealed that people with different personal factors, namely gender, age, occupation, income, and level of education, had different levels of digital citizenship. This study also found that people living in different municipal locations had different digital citizenship. Moreover, the most important issue of ethics in using digital media and social networks was emphasized, followed by adaptation/changing behavior towards technology, and knowledge and understanding of using digital media and social networks. The results led to the development of communication channels to educate the public on proper digital citizenship, and the development of the internet network system to fully support digital citizenship in the future.